Dreaming of You
by K.O.Nano
Summary: This must be some sort of illusion. It just has to be; how could I, an average high school student, possibly get dragged into this insanity? Geez, if only I didn't run into that problematic..absoultely abnormal...blondie!
1. Ice Cold

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha or its characters!

**Author's Note**: Hello everyone~! This is K. O. Nano from Team Gemini! I'm bringing you my first story here, so I hope it isn't all that bad. Who ever knew that a simple little chat could result in something like this? I didn't, that's for sure! Anyways, I don't want to bog down the readers out there with a lengthy author's note, so there'll be a longer one at the end of this chappie. (Side Note: The separate lines in _italics _are Nanoha's thoughts)

~Please Enjoy~

I'll just say this one last bit: Thank you Team Gemini for inspiring me and eggin' me on to do this; you guys are awesome. This one's for you!!!

* * *

**Dreaming of You**

_Chapter One_

**Ice Cold**

Wind gently whispered through the budding cherry blossoms as the sun steadily climbed higher in the sky. It was 7:55am on this beautiful morning in Uminari, and Nanoha Takamachi had less than five minutes left to reach her first History class of the spring semester. Out of all mornings the enormous battery of her alarm clock could've possibly chosen to die, it just had to pick today. The high school student thought back to her chaotic morning and grimaced as she ran through the streets of her hometown.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~

The alarm clock weakly rang once, twice, and not even a third time before the digital numbers it displayed disappeared, leaving nary a trace of having rung at all. Unfortunately, Nanoha was an _extremely _deep sleeper and slept through each ring. Her mother Momoko had to take some drastic, albeit effective, measures to awaken the girl. Knowing her daughter's avid aversion to cold water, the wise Momoko filled a large bucket with freezing ice water. She smiled mischievously as she quietly hauled the container upstairs to Nanoha's room.

The youngest Takamachi was still sound asleep when her mother entered the white and blue bedroom; incidentally, the room was painted to imitate the environment of the sky, but Momoko nevertheless thought it looked like a big blue ocean full of crashing waves. With a light giggle, Momoko counted to three and dumped the bucket's icy contents directly over Nanoha. A scream and an angry pout later, the poor high school girl found herself rushing to get ready for the day…

~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Nanoha snapped back to reality when she realized that she almost missed the turn leading to her school. Unfortunately she _did _pass the turn.

"Crap!"

The girl had no choice now but to take a different route in order to avoid losing more time. Dashing through the park, the brunette paid no heed to the people she passed or even to those in front of her.

Somehow, just somehow, she managed to barely avoid any tragic crashes while plowing her way through town. Nanoha pushed on at full speed, knowing very well that the school gates were nearby. If she could keep on sprinting for a little while longer she'd be able to reach the classroom before that insensitive teacher of hers could appear. She might even have enough time to tie up her unruly hair into her favorite sideways ponytail. Just as she was about to cross the threshold to the high school courtyard, though, a long leg stepped out from behind the gates…

_*CRASH*_

"Owwww, my head…. oh shoot, now I'm going to be late for first period! Who the hell just walks around in front of the school like that right before class anyway?!" Nanoha complained bitterly as she rubbed her temples.

Soft rustling could be heard as the girl noticed another student on the dirt nearby—the one that was responsible for her unfortunate fall. Long, pants-clad legs were sprawled out across the ground; they were, by the looks of it, slim but well-defined by faint traces of firm muscle. Luscious blonde hair cascaded down in soft waves to the other student's trim waist, and as Nanoha slowly dragged her eyes upwards, she noted the toned arms and abdomen. None of the boys in her class would ever come close to matching this guy's impressive physique. _They're all too underfed and scrawny, _Nanoha dryly mused to herself.

Even the guy's chest was rather full and well endowed and…at that point, something clicked within the deep recesses of the brunette's mind. _C-chest?!_

The tall attractive student—the one, Nanoha suddenly realized with annoyance, that she was ogling at the moment—who had tripped her earlier was actually a girl?!

_No way!!_

She convinced herself that it couldn't be possible. How could she have possibly gotten a hold of a boy's uniform? Maybe it was just too early in the morning; that must have been it. The girl in front of Nanoha in that moment was just some sort of illusion, or better yet, Nanoha herself was still in bed sound asleep and having some bad dream. Maybe that meant she'd have to stop eating mint chocolate chip ice cream late at night…

"Nnnngh…!"

Startled out of her thoughts by the blonde's sudden exclamation, Nanoha whipped her head around so fast her neck cracked from the unexpectedly abrupt action.

_Okay, this is SO not a dream…_

The mysterious blonde sluggishly rose to a sitting position and groggily stared at Nanoha. As her eyes re-adjusted and cleared, Nanoha couldn't help but notice the rather unique crimson shade of the other girl's gaze. Her eyes seemed to hide an unsettling feeling of something she couldn't quite place within those murky red depths. Could it have been sadness? No, that couldn't be right; the other girl wasn't exactly frowning nor did she look like she was about to cry. What was it, then, that troubled her so much? The now concerned brunette caved into her curiosity and decided to try and find out more about the lovely stranger in front of her.

"Er…h-hello there. What's your size…uh, I mean, name?" Nanoha awkwardly greeted, mentally slapping herself for the less-than-smooth greeting.­­­­­

The blonde said nothing and merely continued to stare at Nanoha. Those puzzling eyes bore into her own as if they were staring straight into her very soul, deciphering the thoughts and emotions she was feeling. All of a sudden Nanoha felt exposed under this person's unwavering gaze; never before had she felt this sensation, being the strong and stubborn girl she was. And within less than a second, that feeling was gone—the moment was broken. The enigmatic blonde had lazily stood up, brushed off some nonexistent dirt from her trousers and simply walked off without so much as a glance at the girl she left behind.

…

…

_(caw, caw!)_

"What. The. Hell?!"

Nanoha was beyond pissed by now. First of all, she was given that _lovely_ wake-up call from her mother—she could still practically feel the ice cubes running along her spine. After that she ran all the way to school only to be tripped by some cross-dressing girl with serious social issues. For once Nanoha tried to be friendly and polite, but it was all for nothing; she just had to be ignored and have all her efforts go to waste. And to top it all off, Nanoha was now officially late to the very first class of the very first school day of the spring semester.

Counting to ten, the exasperated brunette sighed and took a deep breath. She didn't exactly want her emotions to get the best of her, but at the same time this wasn't exactly a day in paradise for the teenage girl.

"Ah well," Nanoha said aloud to no one in particular. "Looks like I'll just have to B.S. my way through the day now."

Picking up her messenger bag, Nanoha leisurely strolled across the school's courtyard and into the main building. She already knew she was screwed anyway, so why not just go with the flow? The high school student took calming breaths as she approached the doors of her History classroom. Plastering the biggest, brightest smile she could possibly muster onto her face, Nanoha sighed internally one last time and slammed the doors open.

"Gooooooooood morning, everyone!" Nanoha chirped as she skipped into class. "How are you this fine, lovely day?"

"…"

An awkward silence hung over everyone's heads; absolutely nothing could be heard, save for a pencil clattering to the floor or the occasional cough. Nanoha smiled through it all, but deep down she figured her teacher was deeply annoyed by the tardy appearance.

"Well, Takamachi-san. I see you're in high spirits today. And guess what? I'm not, so wipe that smile off your face, find some empty desk and sit down!"

Immediately Nanoha's expression changed from a cheerful, happy student to that of an irritated and exhausted one. She shot her instructor a nasty glare and grumbled on the way to a random desk next to a window near the back of the room.

"Yeah, yeah, Leti-sensei. Take a chill pill, would ya?"

Taking a seat, the disgruntled high schooler propped her right elbow onto the desk and rested her head on her hand. Nanoha let her thoughts wander away from the current discussion on zaibatsu during the Meiji Era to the seemingly wayward blonde she met this morning. She was definitely one of the weirdest girls Nanoha had ever met.

_Seriously though, what kind of person just walks away from a greeting like that?_

Nanoha remembered the way the blonde looked at her and the way she casually shrugged off the encounter and left. And God, those eyes! There was just something about them that troubled Nanoha—she didn't know what, but she sure as hell was going to find out! Realizing what she just thought, Nanoha blushed. Why was she so curious about that girl, anyway? It's not like she got this worked up over other people like that before!

_Maybe it's because she's tall, eye-catching, and mysterious_.

Forgetting about her brief embarrassment, the brunette became determined to learn more about the blonde. And with that decision, Nanoha unknowingly changed her once normal life forever…

* * *

**A/N**: Whew! How was that for the 1st chap. of my first story? I really do hope you liked it.

I know there's not much verbal character interaction in this first chapter, but please understand that was intentional. I'm setting you guys up for the upcomin' plotline, so be patient with me. The next chap's should be at least a little more involved. : )

Feedback would be greatly appreciated; I'd love to see what you think of my story, especially since I'm new at this. Although, I do ask one thing in terms of reviews: if you are going to flame me or this story, please do it respectfully. There really is no need for hostility or anger now, is there?

Once again, a million thanks to my helpful friends from Team Gemini!  
-K. O. Nano


	2. As Good as Dead

**Disclaimer: **I do not own MLGN, its characters, or any of the other possible things from the series that could bring a lawsuit.

**A/N:**I'm sorry for the long wait update! Things like work and coughvacationcough came up, which delayed this chapter. To make it up to you guys, this chapter's going to be longer than the first one. Yay! And as for what happens...I'll let you read and find out. **Side Note: Yuki, Maggie, or Prime- could you guys look over this after reading it? The extra editing would be cool. Thanks!** A longer author's note is at the end of the chapter. So without further ado, here is the story~!

_Separate Lines in Italics = Nanoha's Thoughts_

* * *

**Dreaming of You**

_Chapter 2_

**As Good as Dead**

.

Lunch came not a minute too soon at Uminari High School as the teacher finally ended her snoozefest lecture with an offhanded remark about attending school promptly every day. Nanoha couldn't help but wince at this last comment and knew all too well that it was aimed directly at her. She never did think of herself as a teacher's pet nor did she really want to be one, so she just ended up being what most of the school's staff considered a nuisance. A consistent truant, dozing off in class, and an absolute klutz to top things off- none of these things showed even the faintest hint of a model student. Not that Nanoha cared. It was not as if she hated school or even disliked work, no.

Nanoha Takamachi failed at academics simply because she found the lessons boring and redundant.

Underneath the outward disregard for her classes, Nanoha actually happened to know a thing or two about stuff like economics, human biology, and just about every other subject she was being forced to take. She had gone to a different junior high than the rest of her classmates and consequently underwent a more rigorous and advanced curriculum. The courses she took coincidentally covered everything she was studying now. If she only applied herself now that she was in high school, she'd be getting straight A's, a 4.0 average, and maybe a nice little scholarship to boot. The girl was no natural genius or anything like that and actually far from being one, but the fact that she spent countless hours poring over the same exact material in junior high annoyed her to the point of indifference.

So here she was now, the supposedly dumb girl who'd constantly be reminded by her instructors at the end of each semester that she needed to pass the final exams if she wanted to move into the next year. The funny thing was, every single time she would be pestered about such things, and every single time she'd pass those exams with flying colors much to the consternation of the teachers.

_Hah, maybe I'm not such an epic failure after all_.

The young Takamachi scrambled out of the room at a breakneck speed while her classmates packed their bags and hung around to chat with others. There was no way she would waste any of this precious break time sticking around in that stuffy little space. Besides, she needed to escape before Leti-sensei could find her and reprimand her for the late appearance.

Nanoha slowed her pace once she reached the furthest end of the school's hallway. It was finally lunch. Her stomach was already rumbling from the idea of munching on some sweets while drinking some caramel milk. She smiled and couldn't help but notice that some thoughts about a certain blonde were beginning to form in her mind…

…

"Arisa!!!"

The 3rd year student's smile broadened as she remembered how her friend still owed her some caramel milk. That and she earned the weekly milk by keeping the little thing Arisa Bannings had for their purple-haired friend, Suzuka Tsukimura, a secret.

_So much for secret! They're just about as discreet as a marching band in the middle of July. Okay, bad analogy, but it's true!_

Ever since they were nine, Arisa and Nanoha had been best friends in the same class. Suzuka transferred from a different school sometime in the middle of the year and acted a bit shy at first. Nanoha was not surprised in the least when she discovered that Arisa's fiery spirit and the new girl's somewhat timid nature complimented each other perfectly. Ever since then they became inseparable, and Suzuka grew to be a lot more outgoing in response to spending so much time with Arisa. Those two were bound to be off somewhere on the school grounds eating their nice little lunches together.

_Ugh, how gross. That scene's just a _bit_ too fluffy for my liking._

Nanoha was somewhat of a romance buff; love, in any form, fascinated her. Platonic, courtly, and her personal favorite, unrequited- all types just tugged at a tiny little corner of her heart and made her so much more curious. It was one of the few things in the world she believed was never absolute. In short, it was both mysterious and amazing at the same time.

_Not that I would ever admit something like that!!!_

To everyone but the people closest to her, Nanoha seemed like the least likely person to care about things such as love. Her family and best friends were only aware of it because they knew her well enough to see through her guise, but even then she had never told a single soul about her interests. It's not like she was determined to find her "perfect match" or whatever those other unimaginative romanticists dreamed about. No, Nanoha was more excited by the notion of meddling with other people's relationships, particularly that of Arisa and Suzuka.

The brunette finally noticed with a start that her wandering had brought her to the little grass patch to the side of her school's west building. And as if her thoughts were magic, the two little lovebirds she was previously mulling over turned out to be sitting on one of the greener parts of the grass. Just as Nanoha was approaching, Arisa and Suzuka's heads inched closer to each other, their eyes slowly fluttering shut. They were completely unaware of the person behind them grinning widely like the Cheshire cat.

_Time to make my grand appearance in 3…2…1!_

"Boo!"

(Slight) chaos erupted with that one single yet powerful word.

"Ahhhhh!"

Cries rang out while the thuds of dropped lunchboxes and silverware were muffled by the soft, grassy earth. The screams only got louder when Arisa was caught in a bear hug from behind.

"Suzuka, watch out! That ugly demon from my nightmares has come back to drag me to the depths of hell!" Arisa yelped in distress, her arms thrashing about as she tried to escape from the so-called "demon".

"I can't do anything, all your flailing got my hair into my eyes! And stop staring at me, I just know you are!" the mauve haired teenager replied with a huff.

"No I'm not! I just don't wanna see what's behind me! Tell me what's there! Oh, and if I die, I just wanted to say I lov-" Arisa argued, her voice rising a decibel higher as her fear increased. No demon would ever take her precious Suzuka away!

Suzuka finally managed to swipe away whatever was obscuring her view and took one good look at the shady figure behind her panicking companion. She resisted the urge to facepalm when she recognized the giveaway side ponytail belonging to said shady figure. Rolling her eyes, she bopped Arisa on the head. "Arisa, you idiot! It's just Nanoha trying to be funny. Or rather, stupid…" she mumbled with a wry smile.

Despite the light words, the two seemed genuinely frightened by the sudden arrival of their best friend. Nanoha pretended not to notice, plopped down next to them, and proceeded to take her lunch out of her white and blue messenger bag.

"As if I was _trying _to be stupid; just about everyone seems to think I naturally am already! Besides," the brunette grumbled, obviously not in the mood for her friends' antics. If looks could kill, then Arisa and Suzuka would've been long gone by now, stabbed through the back by multiple imaginary arrows willed by Nanoha's glare. "I needed a good laugh today."

"Now don't say that, Nanoha. Arisa and I don't think you're stupid at all!" Suzuka exclaimed trying to cheer the brunette up.

Nanoha sent Suzuka a confused stare before shaking her head and sighing. "So says the girl who just called me that a few moments ago…"

Arisa and Suzuka exchanged a quick glance; they knew about Nanoha's issues with being called a brainless ditz by her peers. In reality, she was the brightest out of the three but didn't put a lot of effort into showing it. Suzuka decided to tread lightly while trying to change the subject in a way that wouldn't make her friend explode in a fit of anger.

"I'm sorry, Nanoha. You know we were playing along. Just like those…er, what do you call them again? The three…mouseketeers? Anyway, what happened today? You look like a poor little kitty in the rain." Suzuka winced on the inside when she realized her literary faux pas. She seriously needed to brush up on her reading, and maybe her similes as well. Judging the look on Nanoha's face, none of what she said actually had a soothing effect.

"Aw, fine. It's okay, I'll let you guys off on that one since Arisa still owes me some caramel milk. And it's _musk_eteers!" Nanoha added, sticking her tongue out. "I guess it was just a hectic day for me. My battery died, my mom decided to jumpstart my day with a cold shower, and I ended up being late for class because some random blonde…"

Nanoha trailed off, remembering the golden haired girl and the promise she made to herself to find out more about the stranger. To any random passerby, she would seem to border on the edge of insanity.

"Helloooo?" Arisa asked as she scooted closer to Nanoha and knocked on her head with her fist. When that didn't work Arisa decided to take the bull by its horns, or shoulders in this case, and shook her vigorously for a good minute or two.

Hazy cerulean eyes refocused and Nanoha opened her mouth to speak. What came out, however, was not at all what either of her two friends were expecting.

"That blondie! There was some crazy crossdressing blonde girl outside the school gates earlier; I thought she was a guy because of the uniform and all, but she wasn't! She was so cool-looking and looks even better than the guys at our school! And she tripped me, and I said 'hi' but she didn't even say anything! And her eyes! Oh my gosh, those eyes were…"

"Nanoha!" Arisa and Suzuka shouted at the same time, effectively putting an end to their now officially crazy friend's rambling. If they let her go on like that, who knows how long they would've sat out there listening to her talk?

Suzuka slowly placed a comforting hand on Nanoha's shoulder. Now was certainly not the time for jokes. "Why don't you just tell us whatever happened slowly. From beginning to end, okay?"

Nanoha started off with her unlucky morning and how her alarm clock's battery died, then went on to rant about how her mother just had to wake her up in the most _un_pleasant way possible. She mentally noted the amused expressions her friends wore and the fact that they were trying their absolute hardest to avoid bursting out into laughter. Unfazed, she continued on to her mad dash to make it to school and finally ended the story at her run-in with the blonde. Suzuka and Arisa silently observed how their friend seemed to spend the most time describing the unnamed girl. As Nanoha finished, something clicked in the back of their minds.

"That's impossible!" Arisa blurted out with as much gusto as she possibly could since she was positive that this meeting between blonde and brunette could have never took place. If that blonde was really who Arisa thought she was…

"What are you talking about, Arisa?!? I know you saw me walk in class late this morning and give that cheesy greeting…unless you're blind and deaf and never told me." Nanoha was shocked that her morning would sound _that_ ridiculous. So much for her friends trying to comfort her; they must've thought she was stupid _and_ insane now.

_Do they seriously think I'm making this junk up?_

"What she means, Nanoha," Suzuka gently interjected, "is that you can't have possibly come across that blonde." The amount of patience she was displaying at the moment was amazing considering Nanoha's short-fused attitude. Then again, she did have to deal with Arisa's ill-temper a lot, so this sort of argument must've been nothing to her.

"And someone please tell me why the hell not?!" Nanoha was really getting annoyed now. She knew for sure that she wasn't crazy and that what she just described had really happened. What kind of people were her friends to say she was wrong and not explain themselves? She angrily crossed her arms over her ample chest and looked at them expectantly, waiting for some kind of answer.

"Because that person is dead."

.

~*~*~*~*~*~

.

An awkward silence and lengthy explanation later, Nanoha finally uncovered part of the previously unnamed blonde's mystery.

Apparently there was a former upperclassman from their school named Alicia Testarossa who fit the bill of description Nanoha had given exactly. She was popular, a rather talented singer, and had a beautiful figure that could rival those sported by models and superstars. Not only that, she was also the perfect student, always making top marks and maintaining her position at the top of class rankings. She was the prime example of excellence in everyone's opinion.

As for the boy's uniform, Suzuka had explained, Alicia just so happened to have an odd friend who was a cosplay maniac. For her birthday and every other holiday she would receive a new outfit that was custom-made. No one knew for sure who sewed together those elaborate get-ups or how that person managed to obtain Alicia's measurements, but rumors that the very one giving those gifts also created them.

+-+-+-+-+-+

Somewhere in the middle of Uminari, a short chocolate haired girl sneezed.

"Eh, either my cherry blossom allergies are acting up or someone's talking about my avid obsession with cosplaying again…Nah, must be the first one." Shaking her head, the girl returned to her sewing machine. "Now for that French maid outfit…"

+-+-+-+-+-+

Back at the high school, Nanoha was still thinking about the girl named Alicia Testarossa.

_If she's as popular and incredible as Suzuka says she is, why haven't I heard of her?_

Arisa stared straight into her thoughtful friend's eyes and shrugged her shoulders casually. "Nanoha, I know what you're thinking. And it's probably because you could care less. Plus, you most likely didn't hear the teacher's announcement about her death in a car accident a few months back because you were spacing out as usual."

_Does she have ESP?!_

And before anything more could be said, a bell rang somewhere to signal the end of lunch.

.

~o~o~o~o~o~

.

The three girls walked back to class together as slowly as possible; there was no way any of them would want to be alone in an empty space before class with Leti-sensei. That woman gave off a foreboding aura and never seemed one to smile. When she did, however, there was always a ninety-nine percent chance it was caused by some malicious thought that had crossed her mind.

An icy voice projected behind them just as they arrived at the classroom and Nanoha was reaching for the sliding door's handle.

"Ah, Miss Takamachi. Perfect, you're just the person I wanted to see. If you would please follow me to the teacher's lounge, I'd like to have a little…_chat_ with you."

None of the three even needed so much as a peek behind their backs to know who was speaking. So, with the resignation similar to that of a dog following its owner after a scolding, Nanoha turned to meet her impending doom. She dared not look up at Leti-sensei's visage at the moment; the lady was just that scary. Nanoha chanced one last glance toward her friends behind her at the other end of the hallway and instantly regretted it. The expressions they wore, although priceless, emphasized the extent of trouble she was in and reminded her once again of the torments Leti-sensei could've had in store for her.

Leti-sensei and her reluctant student walked in tandem as they silently made their trek to the instructors' lounge where teachers' personal offices were also located. Of course she was pissed that Nanoha Takamachi would dare show up late once again on the first day of the spring semester; the tardy girl in question was sure of that. She could almost see the effort Leti-sensei made to avoid rubbing her temples in exasperation every time something bad occurred.

Before long Nanoha got lost in her thoughts and never noticed that they were standing before a large wooden door. So deeply absorbed was she that the poor brunette ended up ramming into someone's back.

"Here we are. Step inside and kindly refrain from crashing into me ever again." Leti-sensei opened the door and stepped back to allow Nanoha entry. She was definitely not about to let the girl escape by going ahead of her and giving her a chance to run.

_Figures I bumped into her._

The instructors' lounge could be described as a room that wasn't very spectacular to the casual observer, but to those in the know like Nanoha it came straight from some sci-fi movie set. There was a standard woodpolished centerpiece coffee table which had a secret opening in the middle that contained Tasers, high-tech walkie talkies, and even some sort of holographic projector. The large Smart Zipel fridge nearby was stocked with gourmet food along with a dashboard of random beeping buttons and a printout slot. On its door was a large touch pad screen that could access the Internet and play high-definition movies. A decorative Japanese siphon bar next to the exit was custom designed with radio capability and a stereo system. Even the elaborate Takashi Murakami paintings on the wall were decked out with some hidden state-of-the-art device. Ironically, not a single normal computer was in sight.

_It makes you wonder where all that money in the school's budget is going…_

The only reason Nanoha was privy to her teachers' secret was due to the countless times she had to go to the instructors' lounge on account of her troublemaking. She eventually encountered one of the staff using one of those advanced gadgets and ended up being told more about them in detail during a two hour-long lecture. And here she was once again, the target of another discipline session. Nanoha took a seat across the windows in hopes of tuning out Leti-sensei's words while looking out at the beautiful day playing out behind the glass.

"Miss Takamachi, it has come to my attention you are not attending class on time…again. Please note that this school will not stand for such behavior and…" Leti-sensei ranted away and was obviously disregarding Nanoha's fixed gaze. The narcissistic lady really did love to hear the sound of her own voice; getting to scold a student, particularly one named Nanoha Takamachi, must've been a double jackpot.

_Blah blah blah. Can you just get to the point already? I've been through this, what, a hundred times before…_

Outside past the windows Nanoha could see the school courtyard in all its glory under the cloudless sky. A few swallows flew by every so often while the hustle and bustle of the city beyond continued unceasing. Nanoha felt like the scene was mocking her, beckoning her to ditch the pep talk and run free alongside those birds.

Then she saw something startling.

A boy's uniform appeared from behind one of the school building's corners followed by flowing hair matching the sun's color high in the sky. It was Alicia Testarossa— the dead girl.

_No way. Absolutely. No. Flippin'. Way! She's supposed to be buried somewhere and attaining nirvana or something like that!_

Now Leti-sensei's words were truly lost upon Nanoha. Her focus had completely shifted from whatever her teacher was saying to the person outside. Throughout most of the day that mysterious girl plagued her subconscious thoughts. Nanoha's thoughts were cut off, however, when she realized the girl had disappeared from view. She must've made a face of some sort because all of a sudden Leti-sensei stopped talking and gave her a funny look.

"How rude! Here I am trying to help you make something out of your life and this is what I get?"

Now Nanoha was under the spotlight and she didn't even really know why. Trying to find a way out of her little predicament, she stammered out an apology to get more time to think. "Umm, I'm s-sorry…" She badly needed a topic change, pronto. "Oh, hey…. do you know anything about a student named Alicia Testarossa?"

Leti-sensei's eyes instantly widened at the mention of that name.

"Why of course I do! She was the best student I ever had! High marks, raw talent, charisma— the works! She had everything going for her… unlike you, Miss Takamachi." Leti-sensei paused to frown pointedly at Nanoha. It was obvious she was trying to exaggerate her point and instill some guilt in her student. "It's such a pity she had to die in that tragic accident of hers. I had such a wonderful experience working with her; she was a total sweetheart! You know there was this one time where I…"

Nanoha took this opportunity to slide of the instructors' lounge and let the currently oblivious lady reminisce about her 'perfect' student. Wandering about the halls, the copper-haired girl heard a distant bell ring and took a look at one of the clocks above the classrooms' doors. The school day was officially over.

_Great. Did I seriously spend that much time in her presence?_

Not quite wanting to venture back home after what her mother did earlier that morning, Nanoha packed her messenger bag and headed for the school rooftop. It was a favorite personal hangout of hers when she wanted some time to think. Today was definitely one of those days that screamed for alone time. She climbed the steel mesh stairs leading up to the top and occasionally tripped over nothing.

Nanoha felt strange shiver race up her spine upon reaching the large door separating her from the open air atop the school. It was like there was something behind the other door waiting to be discovered. Today was probably one of the weirdest, worst, and most interesting part of her life all mixed into one. So many things happened and at this point she wouldn't be surprised if an ice cream truck fell from the sky. Firm hands turned a knob and slowly pushed the door open; Nanoha braced herself for whatever lay beyond.

What she found was…nothing?

_Oh you've got to be kidding me! This can't possibly get any more…_

"Anticlimactic!!!" Nanoha yelled, finishing her thought aloud.

And that was when she heard a loud thump. The curious teen snapped her head around and saw a foot sticking out from behind the stairwell on the other side of the roof. Nanoha carefully tiptoed along the edge of the stair-encasing wall until she was at the very edge. Counting to three as she had done earlier with Arisa and Suzuka, Nanoha jumped out in front of the foot's owner.

Confused Venetian red eyes greeted Nanoha's as she staggered back to take in the sight in front of her.

One word resonated throughout the city of Uminari as Nanoha Takamachi shrieked out before immediately fainting.

"_ZOMBIE!!!_"

* * *

**Author's Note: **Hello once again, everybody! Actually, I have some bad news for you. Since the school year is coming up, I'll be super busy with assignments. That means the wait between updates might be 1.) really irregular and not on a set schedule and even worse 2.) will take a longer time. Please bear with me, though. I do intend to work on this story when I can and actually have some major plot points worked out already. Thank you for reading my story, and I hope you guys enjoyed so far!

Any flames, once again, would be appreciated if they didn't contain any derogatory expressions or unnecessary insults, etc. Otherwise, feel free to leave a little comment if you want.

And of course, thanks as always to my friends from Team GEMINI. I know we've all been busy lately, but you guys are awesome.

-K . O. Nano


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